Larson Fires Up Retirees, Joins Labor Leaders to Call for Action to Enhance Social Security

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) spoke at the Alliance for Retired Americans’ (ARA) 2023 Pension and Retirement Security Symposium in Washington, D.C., which was attended by Alliance and AFL-CIO members from across the country.

You can watch Rep. Larson’s remarks here. 

“Social Security is the nation’s number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and children, and more veterans rely on disability benefits through Social Security than they do the VA,” said Larson. “52 years ago, Richard Nixon was the President of the United States the last time Congress enhanced benefits. Today, there are more than 5 million Americans who worked all their lives and get a below-poverty level check from Social Security. Our bill calls for an across-the-board increase and offers 23 million Americans a tax break, as well as the repeal of WEP and GPO to make sure public servants can receive the benefits that they earned. If we pass Social Security 2100, we can both enhance benefits and extend the program’s solvency for years to come. I call on my Republican colleagues to join Democrats and more than 300 advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Retired Americans, to protect Social Security and expand benefits. What many Republicans have proposed is raising the retirement age and a behind-closed-door commission designed to cut benefits. Americans are living longer- they cannot afford to live longer on less! It’s time for Congress to reject these cuts and listen to advocates across the country by voting to enhance benefits by passing Social Security 2100!” 
  
A livestream of the symposium can be found here. 

Earlier this year, Larson reintroduced the Social Security 2100 Act, legislation that would increase benefits across-the-board, improve the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), cut taxes for 23 million beneficiaries, improve customer service at the Social Security Administration, and repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). 

Nearly every House Republican voted for legislation last month that would cut Social Security Administration funding by 30% and create a closed-door, fast-track commission designed to cut Social Security benefits.